What had been speculated soon after the final buzzer sounded on another disappointing season for Purdue has become reality: Ronnie Johnson will transfer. Official word came from Purdue coach Matt Painter on Saturday. “Ronnie has expressed his interest in transferring from our program and we have granted him his release,” Painter said in the team release. “We wish Ronnie the best of luck as he continues to pursue his education and basketball career.” Honestly, this is not a huge loss. With Johnson the past two seasons, Purdue compiled consecutive 15-17 records. Johnson remained a work-in-progress who never really developed into a

You never know what you’re going to come across at the Big Ten Tournament. We have seen upset victories, buzzer-beater shots, and Big Ten style hot dogs… Yes, that’s right. On the main concourse at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Big Ten fans can purchase footlong hot dogs, made a certain way for all 12 Big Ten schools. Check it out: My personal favorite: The Wisconsin hot dog. Cheddar cheese sauce, pepper jack, provolone, Cheetos and pepper relish. How good does that sound?

If you’re a fan of college basketball, then you have to appreciate how entertaining Day One of the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament was. Four games were decided by a total of 24 points, with No. 11 Northwestern closing out Thursday’s session with a memorable 67-62 upset victory over No. 6 Iowa. With four games in the book, there were plenty of outstanding individual performances as well. BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart and BTN.com web editor Sean Merriman provide their all-Thursday team from Day One of the Big Ten Tournament. [ MORE: Get all of our Big Ten tournament coverage

Day One of the Big Ten Tournament is officially in the books. Just as the regular season was, the opening round of the tournament was anything but predictable. No. 11 Northwestern upset No. 6 Iowa, Ohio State and Minnesota recorded narrow wins over Purdue and Penn State, respectively, and Illinois topped Indiana, who many believed could make a run in this tournament. With that said, let’s take a look back at the best sights and sounds from Day One of the Big Ten Tournament. [ MORE: Read all of our Big Ten tournament coverage ] Best win: No. 11 Northwestern

In a game that featured three-fifths of the recently-selected Big Ten All-Defensive Team, it was indeed defense that ruled the day as Ohio State held off a stiff challenge from Purdue. This was a ragged affair, with both teams scoring under a point per trip and combining for 29 turnovers. The squads combined to shoot 3-for-24 from downtown, a number that stung even more for the Boilermakers when Terone Johnson’s would-be game-winning three at the buzzer came up short. There were stretches of this game where it felt like neither team could score. Ohio State was mostly driving to the hoop

Reigning Big Ten tourney champ Ohio State nipped Purdue, 63-61, in the second of four games Thursday in the Big Ten tourney. The fifth-seeded Buckeyes avoided becoming just the second team, and first since 1999, to lose to the lowest seed in event history. Get Tom Dienhart’s instant reaction to Ohio State’s narrow Round 1 win in this post. [ MORE: AP RECAP | BOX | PBP | ALL SCORES | CONNECT | LIVE PRESSERS ] Key moment: Ohio State was clinging to a 57-54 lead when Aaron Craft lobbed a pass to Sam Thompson, who threw down an emphatic dunk

The Big Ten tourney kicks off in a few hours and I’m in Indianapolis ready to watch all the games up close and personal. Like so many of you, I’ve been following this Big Ten season from the very start. Before the first game tips on BTN/BTN2Go, here are four quick thoughts on today’s matchups. I’ll be posting to BTN.com all day from press row – follow me on Twitter @BTNTomDienhart. [MORE: Thursday’s live scoreboard | Friday’s scoreboard | Tourney bracket (PDF) ] 1. The winner of the No. 8 Indiana-No. 9 Illinois game has a shot to advance all

It’s almost tourney time so watch our experts in Indianapolis make their predictions in this post. Plus, our TV producers and editors worked long and hard to compile a glorious six minutes and 33 seconds of the best images from the 2013-2014 Big Ten basketball season. We’ve embedded it in this post, too. If you follow @bigtennetwork on Twitter, you got a first glimpse of it online. We promise this video is 6 1/2 minutes well spent. Spectacular #B1G hoops images. #B1GTourney WATCH – http://t.co/xpCAKoGvga — Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 13, 2014

The opening day of the Big Ten tourney did not disappoint. No. 9 Illinois dispatched Indiana, No. 5 Ohio State eliminated No. 12 Purdue, No. 7 Minnesota held off No. 10 Penn State and No. 11 Northwestern upset No. 6 Iowa. On Friday night, BTN/BTN2Go airs No. 2 seed Wisconsin vs. Minnesota at 6:30 p.m. ET, followed by No. 3 seed Michigan State vs. Northwestern. Can’t get to a TV? Then make sure you have BTN2Go, our live mobile app for iPhone and iPad and for Android devices, or just use BTN2Go.com. Friday’s early games are No. 1 seed Michigan vs.